Ferritinophagy via NCOA4 is required for erythropoiesis and is regulated by iron dependent HERC2-mediated proteolysis. Mancias and colleagues report how activity of NCOA4, the selective cargo receptor for the autophagic turnover of ferritin, is regulated by the ubiquitin-proteasome system and that NCOA4 is important in red blood cell development. This work was completed during Joe's post-doctoral fellowship in the labs of Alec Kimmelman and Wade Harper and was published in eLIFE.